Feed mechanism



N. ESLINGER June 6, 1944 FEEDYMECHANISM Filed Jan. 30, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR jlfw/mlaa' AGENT Patented June 6, 1944 FEED MECHANISM Nicholas Eslinger, Foster, Ohio, assignor to Remington Arms Company, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application January 30, 1942, Serial No. 428,825

Claims.

The present invention relates to winding machines, and in particular to a machine for winding strips of paper for use as shot shell base wads.

A shot shell base wad is adapted both for the purpose of reinforcing the shell adjacent the end thereof where extremely high stresses occur due to the gas pressure developed by the rapidly burning powder; and for sealing the tube against the loss of pressure which would occur by leakage of gas between the metallic cap and the wall of the tube.

It has been found that wads quite satisfactory for these purposes could be wound from strips of paper of various widths depending upon the desired thickness of the finished wad. As now practiced, the paper strip material is fed from relatively heavy wad rolls in substantially continuous lengths to suitable winding spindles which are intermittently rotated at relatively high speeds for a predetermined number of revolutions so as to wind up a tight roll of paper of predetermined diameter which is subsequently inserted into the open end of a paper tube. However, inasmuch as the winding and inserting processess are intermittent, the difliculty'has arisen as to suitable means for unwinding a substantially continuous length of strip material from the relatively heavy supply rolls and supplying the material to the intermittently rotating winding spindle without producing excessive strains such as to break the strip.

At least two methods of unwinding the material have been followed in the prior art, namely, jerking the strip of material immediately prior to being rewound so as to overcome the inertia of the supply roll and initiate its unwinding which is furthered by the draft of the rewinding spindle; and secondly, the use of a revolving type feed dial for positively unwinding th roll of material.

Neither process has been entirely satisfactory in that either the strip of paper is frequently broken by the jerking motion; or the rate at which the material is supplied to the winding spindle varies, decreasing from an excessive amount of unwound material to an inadequate amount with the constantly diminishing circumferential speedof the roll. In order to minimize this latter efiect, supply rolls of relatively small diameter have been resorted to which require frequent replenishing. A a a I It is an object of this invention to supply unwound material to an intennittentlyrotating rewinding element at a substantially uniform average linear speed. A further object is to unwind material to be rewound at a substantially uniform rotational speed, and to provide means for supporting the unwound material accumulated due to the difierences in speed of unwinding and rewindi-ng. A still further object is to convert the constantly diminishing circumferential speed of the material being unwound to a substantially uniform average delivery speed.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be expressed in the description which follows.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a ,plan view of. the machine-showing two winding units.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation on line 3-3 ofF-ig. 1.

'Fig. 4 is a modification of the segmental material supporting elements of Fig. 1.

The machine of this invention is shown as comprising two inter-connected winding units, but it will be understood that either unit alone embodies the spirit of the invention.

v element II is supported on the base II] by an arm l2 which may' include any suitable 'well known form of guide element l3 for guiding the material from its respective supporting device [4, hereinafter described, to its respective winding spindle IS. The latter is rotated by suitable drive means, as indicated generally at I50. No claim is hereinafter made to the particular winding spindle and guide means shown, it being clear that modifications thereof may be used within the scope of the invention.

Since each element for supporting the material R to be unwound and for supplying it to one of the winding spindles I5 is substantially identical, the following description will be given with respect to the single element I4 shown partly in section inFig. 2, unless otherwise specified. The supporting structure of this element comprises a circular platform '16 having a rim ing disk 2|. 'ments are shown," it will be understood that the secured in the base platform I6. 43': is bolted to the underside of the platform l6 to hold the sleevebearing 43 securely in place.

'- The lower end 4601' the sleeve 43 forms a bearing face for the adjacent faceof the hub 41 of a spur gear 48 which is rotatively supported on the arbor 39. v The gear 48 is in mesh witha second spur gear49 whichis fastened to, the-lower end 5 I. is a suitable. sheet .metal" and I3 respectively. The numerals I60 are a plurality of holes drilled through the bottom of the platform |6 adjacent the rim thereof for permitting the escape of dust, lint, paper particles, etc. tending to accumulate in the platform 2| is a relatively thin disk-like table or unwinding means concentrically mounted within the rimmedplatform l6 and fixedly secured on the upper end of a vertical spindle 22 rotatably supported in the hub I8 by bushings 23, 23.

The outside diameter of the disk 2| is substantially less than the inside diameter of the (see Fig. 2) drives the pulleys 3| and 3| through the connecting crank link 33, thus transmitting rotation to the spindle pulley 28 and to the second material unwinding disk 2|.

rimmed platform I6, in consequence of which an annular space 24 is formed between the outer edge of the disk 2| and the inner wall of therim IT. A relatively long segment 25 and 'a plurality of short segments 25', or radially disposed supporting blocks, substantially equal in width to the width of the space 24 are bolted to suitable ribs24' of the platform l6 at spaced points around the annulus 24, the upper surfaces of the segments 25 and 25 lying in substantially the same plane as the upper surface of theunwind- Although annularly spaced segnumberand/or length of the segments may be increased (as shown in Fig. 4) to form a substantially closed ring or platform 250, in which eventdrilled holes I60 may be formed in' the The upper end of the spindle 22 projects above the surface of the disk 2| and supports a hub 26 rotatably mounted on the spindle by a" ball bearing 21. e

The lower end of the spindle 22 carries a pulley 28 which is keyed thereto at its hub portion 29 and which is connected by a V-belt 30 to a sec- 0nd pulley 3|. The latter is freely rotatable on the lower end of a studshaft 32 fixed at its upper end in the base l0.

Rotation is transmitted to the pulley 3| by a suitable oscillating link 33 connected at oneend to an eccentric pin 34 which is carried on a crank 35 of the pulley 3|. The opposite end of the oscillating link 33 is connected to a pulley 3| by a crank 35' and eccentric pin 36, the latter being locatedisubstantially 90. in advance of the eccentric pin 34. The pulley 3| is similarly freely rotatable on the lower end of a stud shaft 32' I H), and is connected by a V- belt 30 to a pulley 38. The latter is keyed to the lower portion of a vertical arbor 39; which is-supported from the platform I6 and which .rotatively. supports an article discharging disk 40 at its lower end. The articles, or shot shells having a wound wad inserted in one end there- ,of, are conveyed from the winding spindles onto the discharging disk 40 by a suitable trough in- ..dicated by the dotted lines 4|. Referring to Fig.

3, the upper end of the arbor 39 is shownjourn aled in bushings42-42 in a substantially vertical sleeve bearing 43, the upper end of which is fittedina drilled hole M in the bottom of the A suitable flange 45 of the sleeve of the spindle 22.

to permit paper lint, dust, etc. to fall through In operation a relatively large wound roll R of paper strip is laid on the rotating unwinding disk or table 2|, being concentrically located with respect thereto by the freely rotating hub 26. An end R of the paper strip is led through a slot in the rim ll of the stationary platform l6 and threaded through the guide means I3 into an eye |5| of the winding spindle |5. The roll supporting disk 2| is rotated at a uniform speed by the above described pulley and belt drive, thereby unwinding a continuous strip of paper at a continuously diminishing circumferential speed in accordancewith the decreasing diameter of the roll; The winding spindle I5 is rotated in- '(Fig. 2) substantially equal in outside diameter a shot shell.

'terr'nittently at a relatively high speed andfor a predetermined number of revolutions so as to rewind the strip of paper supplied from the unwinding rollinto a tightly wound paper wad 56 to the inside diameter of the body or tube 51 of v Suitable means, not forming a part of this'invention, are provided for removing thewound wad from the spindle l5 and inserting the wad into the shot-shell tube 51.

It will be evident that each predetermined length of paper intermittently drawn into the winding spindle travels at a substantially .unifornrlinear speed'and that the summationoi such predeterminedlengths of paper, or the continuous stripof material, is advanced at anniform average linear speed.

If the'supplyroll is a full one the material of the roll is initially unwoundat a circumferential speed greater than the averagelinear speed of rewinding due to the relatively large diameter of 'the 'roll. Consequently an excess amount of unwound material is produced which spreads outwarclly or radiallywith respect to the rollQand accumulates on" the supporting segment 25 and the blocks 25of the rimmed platform I6. The accumulation of'the excess material continues, although at a steadily decreasing rate, untilthe circumferential speed of the material being unwound to asubstantiallyluniform average linear speed at which the strip is drawn into or rewound on the winding spindle.

It is evident, therefore, that by the machine of this invention, the; paper 'strip is fed .to thereeewinding l p n sjwithout jerking or otherwise vcreatingexcessive tension in the strip, and that the size of the supply rolls used may be considerably greater than the size of the rolls previously used, thereby necessitating less frequent replenishment and effecting reater efficiency in operation.

Although the above description relates to the particular application of the invention to winding shot shell paper base wads, it will be understood that the invention is not so limited and that it shall have other applications within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a wad winding machine, the combination with a winding spindle and means for intermittently rotating the spindle, of means for supplying a continuous strip of wad material to said winding spindle at a substantially uniform average rate comprising a rotatable disk for supporting a roll of wad material in a substantially horizontal plane, drive means for uniformly rotating said disk for unwinding a continuous strip from said roll at a linear speed which varies in accordance with the decrease in diameter of said roll, a fixed platform having a rim portion circumscribing said disk, and a plurality of segments spaced about the periphery of said disk and fixedly disposed between said disk and said rim, the surface of each segment being flush with the surface of said disk for accumulating unwound strip material spreading outwardly from said disk and converting the variable unwinding speed of the unwound strip to a substantially uniform average supply speed.

2. In a wad winding machine, the combination with a winding spindle and means for intermittently rotating the spindle, of means for supplying a continuous strip of Wad material to said winding spindle at a substantially uniform average rate comprising a rotatable disk for supporting a roll of wad material in a substantially horizontal plane, drive means for uniformly rotating said disk for unwinding a continuous strip from said roll at a linear speed which varies in accordance with the decrease in diameter of said roll, a fixed platform having a rim portion circumscribing said disk, said platform having holes therein, and an annular platform interposed between said disk and said rim, the surface of said platform being flush with the surface of said disk for supporting unwound material spreading outwardly from said disk and convertin the variable unwinding speed of said unwound material to a substantially uniform average supply speed, said annular platform having holes therein for permitting lint from said roll of material to drop from said annular platform and to escape through the holes of said fixed platform.

3. In a winding machine, the combination with a winding spindle and means for rotating the spindle; of means for supplying material to said winding spindle comprising a rotatable table for unwinding the material, said table having a substantially vertical axis of rotation; members in the plane of said table for supporting an excess of unwound material produced by a difference between the speed of unwinding and rewinding of said material; and an element circumscribing the supporting members constructed and arranged to limit the radial expansion of said excess unwound material.

4. In a winding machine, the combination with a winding spindle and means for rotating the spindle; of means for supplying material to said Winding spindle comprising a material supporting disk having a substantially vertical axis of rotation and rotatable in a substantially horizontal plane for unwinding the material; a rim circumsoribing said disk and spaced radially from the periphery thereof; and segments spaced circumferentially about the periphery of said disk in the horizontal plane thereof and between the periphery of said disk and said rim for supporting an excess of unwound material produced by a difference between the speed of unwinding and rewinding of said material.

5. In a winding machine, the combination with a winding spindle and means for intermittently rotating the spindle; of means for supplying material to said winding spindle comprising a material supporting disk having a substantially vertical axis of rotation and rotatable in a substantially horizontal plane for unwinding the material; drive means for rotating said disk at a substantially uniform speed whereby the speed of unwinding of said material exceeds the speed of rewinding by said winding spindle; and a stationary ring having a planar surface partially circumsoribing said disk in the horizontal plane thereof for accumulating the radially expanding unwound material produced by the speed differential between said unwinding and rewinding speeds, the surface of said ring having apertures therein to enable the escape of lint from said rim.

NICHOLAS ESLINGER. 

